bumfuckidaho | TEST DRIVE MEME, APRIL 2017.

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TEST DRIVE MEME, APRIL 2017.

TEST DRIVE MEME

There was an accident. That's basically the only thing you know for certain. Maybe a car wreck - metal and broken glass everywhere, and the sirens and the screaming. Or maybe there was an explosion. Maybe your bike hit a rock and you careened uncontrollably off a mountain path. You can't can't quite make out the details, not who was at fault or why. Try as you might, the chaos is all you can remember.

It's also the last thing you remember from before you wake up here.

When you open your eyes, the accident is gone. Instead, you're in a hospital bed – the nursing staff greets you with a cheerful smile.

Welcome to Wayward Pines, they tell you. You'll make a full recovery here.

option one
WELCOME TO WAYWARD PINES

The hospital staff had seemed very friendly, but ultimately unhelpful when it came to answering your questions, insisting you shouldn't worry about such things, and that it was smarter to just rest until you'd fully recovered.

That was some time ago. You've since managed to leave the hospital – either via escape, or simply by waiting patiently and filling out paperwork until they finally agreed to release you. Now you've found yourself in the small but hearty town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. It's a charming little place, and the people there are all friendly enough, more than willing to greet you on the street, or give you directions if you need them.

Unless you're asking for directions out of town, of course.

Some will simply smile and give you a hearty pat on the shoulder and ask why you'd ever want to do a thing like that? Others will get quiet for a moment, and direct you to the nearest sign posted near the doorway of every building.

Don't bother taking the road, either. Whether you walk or get your hands on a vehicle, you won't get anywhere. The road simply takes you away from town for a short while before looping around and bringing you right back in.

There's no use questioning things, and it seems pretty useless to try to leave. So really, why not stay a while? Everyone's convinced that you'll find something to love in Wayward Pines.

(For the purposes of this test drive, you're welcome to handwave the existence of basically any local business or activity.)

option two
INTO THE WOODS

You've just heard a scream from the woods.

I mean, it could've been an animal. There's bound to be some kind of wildlife amongst the trees, right? But then again, it did sound awfully... human.

Though all of the locals nearby conceal a flinch at the sound, they'll assure you it's nothing, if you ask them. Why, you're probably just hearing things! (But with an anxious undertone of stop asking questions.) If you're curious, though, and brave enough to go see, they won't make any move to stop you from going into the wooded area surrounding the town.

The trees are tall, and their branches are thick enough to block out a significant amount of sunlight from breaking through the canopy, leaving the forest floor a little dimmer and cooler than the streets of town.

Whatever the source of the scream was, you won't be able to find it out here. An experienced hunter might notice some signs of a struggle, and a few faint boot prints, but they don't really seem to lead anywhere in particular.

What you will find, if you walk far enough, is a fence. A big one - at least 30 feet tall, made of metal and concrete. It goes on quite a ways in either direction as well; follow the wall far enough, and you'll see that it connects with the steep, sheer cliffs that surround the rest of Wayward Pines, effectively boxing the town in.

In actuality, you'll probably feel it before you see it. A full 500 yards from the wall, when it's hardly a shadowy smudge through the trees, you start to feel a little bit tired, a little bit weak. Trouble is, the closer you get, the weaker you feel - like the wall itself is sapping the strength out of you, and the closer you get, the worse it feels. Any powers you may have had grow weaker in kind as you make your way to the fence, but even ordinary humans will find their strength sapping away. By the time you're close enough to read the signs and to feel the crackle of electricity radiating from the thick wires criss-crossing the wall's metal surface, you're too weak to stand.

Do you crawl closer still and risk electrocution, or do you crawl away and assess the situation once you're far enough from the fence to be able to stand?

option three
PTA BAKE SALE

It's that time of year again. The time when everyone digs into their wallet, ignores their diet, and spends a little time supporting the local school bake fair. You know, for the good of the children. And it doesn't hurt that Linda's Blondie recipe is honestly to die for. The school PTA has pulled out all the stops this year in the hopes of encouraging a good community turn out, posters advertising the sale plastering every street corner and stuffed into every mailbox for a solid week leading up to the event, and today is finally the day.

There's at least two dozen different tables set up with all manner of delectable treats, even one or two offering vegan alternatives for those inclined, not to mention a few others catering to some of the townspeople's more... unique palates.

Maybe you've got your own table set up with your wares, or maybe you were simply lured to the park today by the appetizing scents wafting through the air. Either way it seems like the whole town has come out to show their support today and why wouldn't they? Children are our future, aren't they? Or maybe it's just Linda's Blondie recipe.

Yeah, that's probably it.

option four
ON THE NETWORK

Though it's not as high-tech as you might be used to (or hell, maybe you're ren faire and it's centuries beyond anything you've seen), but Wayward Pines does in fact have a network to accommodate its citizens.

Go ahead, post a network post! Just note that the network currently has two basic functions. The first is audio-only and can be accessed from the telephones in each character's home. If an audio-based medium doesn't suit your needs (or aesthetics), be sure to take advantage of the Wayward Pines Message Board from your brand new laptop for the chance to communicate with your fellow townspeople in a text-based format instead!

( a few notes )

Welcome to our third test drive here in The Pines! Just one important thing to note:

Upon arrival in Wayward Pines, characters find themselves struggling to remember entirely who they were or where they came from. Memories return progressively over the next two weeks. You're welcome to play with this mechanic in any of these prompts, but it's definitely not mandatory! For more details on this temporary memory loss, see our FAQ.

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[ If Cassian knew there was someone around who could read his thoughts (unbidden or not) he'd be a lot more careful with them, considering he's running a small table for the Tea Shop at this bake sale. (Why? Pietro. That's why. Also it's a good chance to get a look at people he wouldn't otherwise interact with.) As it is, his thoughts have a tendency to double back on themselves, one set of thoughts going quiet as another presents itself. There's definitely a thread that is full of mundane information: assessing threat levels seems to be automatic, along with names, memories (some make more sense than others), order requests, change, etcetera.

Then there's the other. Still assessing threat levels, looking for concealed weapons, looking for familiar faces, considering how absolutely pissed off he'll be if someone uses this as a cover to poison them all.

Someone has a history of compartmentalizing.

Either way, when Kylo approaches the table, Cassian gives a nod. ]

I have coffee.

[ Tall, dark and brooding looks like he might need some. ]

[In the midst of all the noise, there's a familiar thread of thought Ren picks up on as he makes his way through the tables. He follows it as if a hound on a scent, unsubtle until he stands before a man at one of the tables, labeled for its sale of tea. Ren looks him over, then, as if realizing the stare he must be leveling him, switches to his wares. The suggestion brings his eyes up once more.

A twitch appears on his lips, the beginning of a smile. How he must look that his suggestion is a stronger alternative to his primary product. Ren huffs, amused.]

Do I look that bad?

[He asks, maintaining a polite facade while he tries to probe further into his mind. Sometimes it's subtle, sometimes not. Ren hopes for the former, he's intrigued by some of the images that the man is projecting with his thoughts. If he can just get him to focus on them, he'll get a clearer picture -- all Ren wants is to confirm that their origins are not here on this world that cannot even land its people on another planet. He knows he can't be the only one.]

You look like you're fighting off my headache.

[ Also Cassian essentially brought out the giant dispenser of coffee for himself since he was stuck doing this event; seems only fair that he offer it, occasionally, to those who seem 'in need'.

It's...not subtle, exactly; Cassian's internal alarms are raised a bit higher than they were moments before but that's not necessarily the fault of the man in front of him, he rations. Besides, Cassian's exposure to the Force is...limited, to say the least.

As it is he does think of flying, of ships and the U-Wing in a vague sort of way but also of Bodhi in particular, and how he images he'd do poorly here. In Wayward Pines, in general, but at this event specifically.

And then he compartmentalizes it. Again. That way lies suffering and things Cassian can't change, so off it goes. Besides, Cassian can multitask and he pours the guy in front of him some coffee at the same time. ]

[The shock of information, while brief, is startling and Ren nearly smiles in his excitement to know that it's real. That he isn't alone. He doesn't know the man pictured, but he knows of that make of craft, sees it being flown through the reaches of space. The confirmation leaves Ren hungry for more and yet sated all the same. Should he try again? Or err on the side of caution, the way the man's mind seemed to notice his presence.

Ren shakes his head slightly, remembering to stay engaged in the conversation, though somehow he feels as if he could project his very words into this man's mind. Of course, that would be much the same as announcing his ability out loud.]

No, I just don't usually like crowds.

[An honest truth, the noise of them is always overbearing, no matter how he tries to shut them out. It only ever quiets when he pushes further into one, as if sinking into the layers of another shields him from the rest. Now that Cassian (as Ren has learned from seeing his thoughts) is free from his probing, Ren feels the brunt of the populace's cacophony once again.]

You don't seem to either.

They're distracting.

[ Which might be an odd thing to say, but if Cassian is assured of anything it is his own ability to suss things out about other people and there's this: this man in front of him understands the inherent risks posed by a large crowd of people, even in a peaceful and innocuous gathering. ]

Plus this is not...my type of thing. Too many politics. [ Cassian shrugs. ] Yet here I am.

[Distracting is one word for it, though Ren somehow doubts Cassian has quite the same overload of information that he does. Still, some people are just not very sociable, and that Cassian seems to be one of them makes Ren feel somehow even more assured by his presence. There's a kind of camaraderie, in that.

He huffs in mild amusement and nods.]

It takes a certain type of person to endure politics. [Ren knows all too well.] Even if they're on a small scale.

You're either passive or active. [ Cassian has had a long and unfortunate life being active in politics - in a way - and if there is one thing he appreciates about Wayward Pines (and the list is very short, mind) it's this: he can be inactive in politics, or at least in the way in which he's used to being.

tl;dr he's glad he doesn't have to run around clandestinely killing people right now.

Situations change and he's aware of this, however, and something very strange going on in this town but. Well.] Politics affects you whether you like it or not, I just happen to not.

I'm not a fan either. [Even if it's just within the town, his mother being part of them has always been a point of contention for Ren. Too busy with her job to really be a mother. Even this many years later, he harbors resentment.] It's slow. Tedious.

[Ren prefers direct action. It's not that he can't do the alternative, it's just more work than necessary. He isn't sure if he's ever been involved in them, but he does recall a military organization. (In space.) Ren doesn't know how political that was, but they do seem to go hand in hand. Perhaps that's another reason he's weary of them.]

So is change. [ Changing people's minds, changing governments, changing situations. The large the group of people, the longer it would take to change things.

(Except here, where everything's made up and the memories don't matter.)

Still. Cassian gives a little shrug, what can you do? ]

Then again, other than the Sheriff's... [ He gives a bit of a wave to the crowd around them. ] This is about as political as it gets here.

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